NRL Roosters vs Broncos best bets & multi tips – Rd 21, 2022

Round 21 of the 2022 NRL Premiership kicks off with a blockbuster Thursday night clash as the Brisbane Broncos travel to Sydney to take on the Roosters at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Roosters will see this as a must-win clash as they look to solidify their place in the top eight. The Broncos will be out to make amends having been beaten by the Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday as they push for a spot in the top four to avoid an elimination match in the first round of the finals series. Who will win this top-eight battle?

The Broncos have history on this side, however narrow that margin may be, having won 23 times in 45 clashes. The last two clashes have finished in favour of the Roosters, but only by narrow margins. The match prior to that was early in 2021, when they travelled to the SCG and beat the Roosters 34-16.

The Broncos side that won that night is vastly different to the one that runs out this Thursday. The Broncos will be without Patrick Carrigan but have gained Selwyn Cobbo back on the wing, while the Roosters have lost forward Lindsay Collins too.

Since betting markets have opened, and following the confirmation that Carrigan will not take his place in the Brisbane side this Thursday, the Roosters have been backed from $1.67 into $1.57 at BetOnline. Given the team named by the Roosters, they should be short favourites. However, not only have the Broncos beaten the Roosters at the SCG, the Broncos almost beat the Roosters at Suncorp earlier this year but were denied by some Joseph Manu brilliance.

The Broncos are underdogs in this match but have history suggesting they are capable of winning, and they will be eager to do so after losing to the Tigers. The Broncos are a great value play to win by a 1-12 margin, paying $3.50 with online bookmakers.

Manu has been one of the best players in the NRL in recent weeks, and given his matchup against baby Bronco Deine Mariner, the Kiwi star will be out to put on a show again for the Roosters. Manu is almost a certainty to score at any point during the match, so the $2.40 on offer in that market is all but free money.

The Rooster will have defensive issues of their own to deal with, as Kotoni Staggs lines up against Paul Momirovski. Staggs was the beneficiary of good early possessions with time and space last weekend against the Tigers, and with his partner-in-crime Cobbo back from injury, the Broncos’ right-edge attack will be vital to their chances of winning. Look for Staggs to have a statement game for the Broncos, scoring a double at the big price of $10.

Key matchup: Victor Radley vs Kobe Hetherington

The matchup of these two locks may not be high on the agenda for some, but this will be where the match is won or lost. Victor Radley is as strong a ball runner and defender as he is a distributor and link man for the Roosters in the middle. Kobe Hetherington is an equally strong ball runner for the Broncos and could well find himself on Queensland’s State of Origin radar in years to come for his toughness and work ethic. Where Hetherington will be at a disadvantage is in the ball-playing department. The loss of Carrigan will leave a big hole there for the Broncos, and the more Hetherington fills that hole with quality passing and decision-making, the closer Brisbane will go to upsetting the Roosters in Sydney.

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